1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a job aiding apparatus for assisting a worker in accurately and efficiently working on a workpiece based on job details and job results displayed on a display unit and also allowing the worker to make easy decisions about job results.
2. Description of the Related Art
Production lines for manufacturing products, such as automobiles, made of a large number of parts have a plurality of work stations each provided with an assembly manual which describes a work procedure and the numbers of parts assembled in the work station. The worker in each work station assembles desired parts by seeing the assembly manual.
Recent years have seen trends for the manufacture of many types of products in small quantities to meet various needs of users. To minimize investments in production facilities, one production line is supplied with mixed parts for a plurality of products of different kinds. The worker in each work station of such a production line assembles parts according to different assembly manuals for the respective types of products.
However, such a production process is disadvantageous in that the workers cannot fully avoid errors in their job no matter how skilled they may be. For example, the worker in each work station may assemble parts in a wrong sequence or may put together parts of different products. Furthermore, in order to inspect a fastened bolt to see if the torque with which the bolt has been tightened is in a predetermined torque range, the worker reads the torque value from a torque meter and decides whether the torque value falls within the predetermined torque range that is given in the assembly manual. At this time, the worker may make an error in making such a decision.
There have heretofore been available an apparatus for displaying the video of a work procedure for the worker to avoid errors in the work procedure, an apparatus for displaying inspection data on a display unit for the worker to easily confirm the inspection data, and an apparatus for reading a number inherent in a part from the part for the worker to process the part according to an instruction given on the basis of the read number.
These apparatus have been independent of each other. For example, a work procedure is being displayed on a display unit, and the result of the job done according to the work procedure is displayed on another display unit. Therefore, since the worker is required to see both the display units, the work which the worker needs to perform is so complex that the worker tends to cause errors.
Even when these apparatus are employed, it is impossible to completely get rid of errors. For example, when the worker tightens a plurality of bolts on a workpiece and then measures and confirms the torque of each of the bolts, the worker may measure the torque of one bolt a plurality of times. When such a mistake takes place, because there is no way of detecting which bolt has been measured twice, all the bolts have to be measured again.
On production lines, workpieces are processed without being stopped at work stations for higher production efficiency. Display units of the type described above are positioned at spaced intervals along the production lines. Since, however, many various devices other than those display units are also positioned alongside of the production lines, the layout of the display units is subject to significant limitations. Inasmuch as workpieces move downstream along the production lines, a display unit for displaying measured results in each work station needs to be located downstream of the other display units, so that the worker in each station can work on workpieces smoothly based on images displayed on the display units. This also poses a limitation on the layout of the display units.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a job aiding apparatus for allowing a worker to confirm job details and job results with ease to avoid errors in the job.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a job aiding apparatus for assisting a worker in accurately and efficiently working on a workpiece.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a job aiding apparatus which minimizes limitations on the layout of a display unit for displaying job details and job results.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a job aiding apparatus which prevents a worker from making errors in the manufacture of many types of products in small quantities.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.